CTA Holiday Train Comes to Town

The Chicago Transit Authority has announced its 2017 holiday train and bus schedule, which continues through the end of December.

The holiday train and elves' workshop train will not only be bringing commuters to their destinations this season, it will also deliver food baskets to charities across the city, the transit agency announced.

The train is a tradition decades in the making, beginning on the Blue Line in 1992 with a simple "Season's Greetings from the CTA" sign on a train that delivered food to various charities.

Now, the train has evolved, bringing Santa on board as he waves to riders from his sleigh at the front of the train.

The holiday train and elves' workshop train will be wrapped in festive gear and adorned with thousands of twinkling lights. Inside, riders will be greeted by Santa's elves, who will have "plenty of candy canes for good boys and girls," the CTA said.

The 60-foot holiday bus will also be transformed into a "winter wonderland" with "Ralphie the Reindeer" and Santa's sleigh in tow. Strings of lights will outline the bus and its windows along with 3-D antlers up top and a ruby light at the front of the bus. Some riders will even be able to take photos with Santa.

The CTA Holiday train will make its way through all "L" lines in late-November and December from 1-8 p.m. on weekends and 3-7 p.m. on some weekdays. Every Saturday, the holiday train will be followed by the elves' workshop train to "allow more to enjoy this one of a kind holiday experience."